Mi-28 Night Hunter helicopter will be fitted with high-precision weapons, a new control system and an “electronic cockpit”, Vzglyad.ru reports with reference to Givi Janjgava, Deputy CEO of Radioelectronic Technologies Concern on research and development in the area of airborne equipment.

«At present we are upgrading computing hardware, visualization and navigation systems. We have placed an order for optically aimed weapon manufactured by Kolomna-based Design Bureau of Machine Building (KBM). The prototypes of this weapons will be manufactured soon», – he said. According to him, a missile intended for the Night Hunter features fine guidance and good inertial system able to “track a target detected at 6-8 km”.

Mi-28s will also be able to communicate not only with each other but also with helicopters of different types and obtain data from ground control stations or satellites. «We are developing an upgraded system for processing the mission input data required to assure coordinated actions of the helicopters. It is being prepared for integration into the network-centric control system», – the expert said. The upgraded Mi-28 will also be fitted with an “electronic cockpit” having a few mechanical instruments and no traditional control panel.

«It is closer to visual indication. The intellectual system offers a final decision and options available to the pilot. The helicopter will have its own intellect able to reduce the pilot’s workload», – Janjgava noted. Speaking of the work completion time, the designer noted that the new technical solutions will be implemented in two or three years. In the network of this project the specialists of Radioelectronic Technologies Concern plan to fit the helicopter with EW suite “to make Mi-28 a true multi-purpose hunter”.

We remind you that Russian Ministry of Defense officially put the Mi-28 attack helicopter into service in December 2013.

Later it was announced that the helicopter’s integrated tests will be started in 2014–2015. In April 2014 a source close to the military-industrial sector reported that three Mi-28s should be delivered to Iraq in early June.

Mi-28 («Night Hunter») – is the major attack helicopter of the Russian air forces. It is designed to destroy tanks, armored vehicles, personnel, protected sites and area-type targets (like emplacements, defensive fortifications, etc.); it is capable of mine laying, detecting and destroying small ships, high-speed aircraft at low altitudes and low-speed aerial targets under any lighting and weather conditions.